Other sights in Bavaria
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Schloss
The main palace building consists of a large villa and two wings of creaking parquet floors and sumptuous period rooms. Right at the beginning comes the highpoint of the entire Schloss, the Schönheitengalerie (Gallery of Beauties), housed in the former apartments of Queen Caroline. Some 38 portraits of beautiful women chosen by an admiring King Ludwig I peer prettily from the walls. The most famous is of Helene Sedlmayr, the daughter of a shoemaker, wearing a lavish frock the king gave her for the sitting. You'll also find Ludwig's beautiful but notorious lover, Lola Montez, as well as 19th-century gossip-column celebrity, Jane Lady Ellenborough, and English beauty Lady …
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Dom St Stephan
The characteristic green onion domes of Passau's otherwise whitewashed cathedral, the Dom, float serenely above the town silhouette. There has been a church on this spot since the 5th century, but the current baroque look emerged after the Great Fire of 1662. The interior was designed by a crew of Italian artists, notably the architect Carlo Lurago and the stucco master Giovanni Carlone. The frescoes show fascinating scenes of heaven, but the true masterpiece is the industrial-size church organ, one of the world's largest with a staggering 17,974 pipes. Organ recitals are held on weekdays at noon, and on Thursday at 7.30pm from May to October (adult/child €3/1 lunchtime, …
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St Anna Kirche
Often regarded as the first Renaissance church in Germany, the rather plain-looking St Anna Kirche contains a bevy of treasures as well as the sumptuous Fuggerkapelle, where Jacob Fugger and his brothers lie buried, and the lavishly frescoed Goldschmiedekapelle (Goldsmiths' Chapel; 1420). The church played an important role during the Reformation. In 1518 Martin Luther, in town to defend his beliefs before the papal legate, stayed at what was then a Carmelite monastery. His rooms have been turned into the Lutherstiege, a small museum about the Reformation. The entire complex was under renovation at the time of writing.
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Deutsche Bahn Museum
Nuremberg's impressive Deutsche Bahn Museum explores the history of Germany's legendary rail system. You'll see the country's first engine, the Adler, which ran from Nuremberg to nearby Fürth in 1852. Other fine specimens include Ludwig II's gilded carriage (dubbed the 'rolling Neuschwanstein' for its starry ceiling fresco and lavish decoration) and Bismarck's sober quarters for official visits. A highlight is the hourly demonstration of one of Germany's largest model railways, run by a controller at a huge console of blinking lights and switches.
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Jakobskirche
North of the Marktplatz, the recently sandblasted Jakobskirche is Rothenburg's major place of pilgrimage. The main draw is the carved Heilig Blut Altar (Holy Blood Altar), set on a raised platform at the western end of the nave. It depicts the Last Supper with Judas, unusually, at the centre, receiving bread from Christ. The rock crystal inside is said to contain a drop of Christ's blood.
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Mittelalterliches Kriminalmuseum
Brutal implements of torture and punishment from medieval times are on display at the curiously fascinating Mittelalterliches Kriminalmuseum. Displays include chastity belts, masks of disgrace for gossips, a cage for errant bakers, a neck brace for quarrelsome women and a beer-barrel pen for drunks. Visitors gain gruesome amusement from having their photo taken in the stocks outside.
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Jüdisches Museum Franken in Fürth
A quick U-Bahn ride away in the neighbouring town of Fürth is the Jüdisches Museum Franken in Fürth. Fürth once had the largest Jewish congregation of any city in southern Germany, and this museum, housed in a handsomely restored building, chronicles the history of Jewish life in the region from the Middle Ages to today. To reach the museum, take the U1 to the Rathaus stop in Fürth.
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Schaetzlerpalais
Schaetzlerpalais was built for a wealthy banker between 1765 and 1770, and today houses the Deutsche Barockgalerie (German Baroque Gallery) and the Staatsgalerie (Bavarian State Gallery). The pièce de résistance is the 23m-long ballroom - a riot of carved decorations, stucco and mirrors, all topped off with a kinetic ceiling fresco.
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Reichsstadtmuseum
The city's showcase of local art, culture and history is the Reichsstadtmuseum, which is housed in a former convent. Highlights include the superb Rothenburger Passion (1494) by Martinus Schwarz, and the convent rooms themselves, including a 14th-century kitchen. The gardens are ideal for a quiet stroll.
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Wieskirche
Known as 'Wies' for short, the Wieskirche is one of Bavaria's best-known baroque churches and a Unesco-listed heritage site. About a million visitors a year flock to see its pride and joy, the monumental work of the legendary artist-brothers, Dominikus and Johann Baptist Zimmermann.
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Museum Füssen
Below the Hohen Schloss, and integrated into the former Abbey of St Mang, is the Museum Füssen. Füssen's heyday as a 16th- century violin-making centre is recalled here, and you can view the abbey's festive baroque rooms, Romanesque cloister and the St Anna Kapelle (AD 830).
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Kaiserburg Museum
The Kaiserburg Museum chronicles the history of the castle and sheds light on medieval defence techniques. The grassy knoll in the southeast corner of the castle gardens is Am Ölberg, a great spot to sit and gaze out over the city's rooftops.
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Basilika St Emmeram
Near the Schloss is a masterpiece by the Asam brothers, the Basilika St Emmeram. There are two giant ceiling frescoes and, sheltered in its crypt, the remains of Sts Emmeram, Wolfgang and Ramwold, all Regensburg bishops in the early days of Christianity.
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Bertolt-Brecht-Haus
Fans of the Threepenny Opera will enjoy the Bertolt-Brecht-Haus, the birthplace of the famous playwright and poet. Brecht's work was banned by the Nazis for his communist leanings and he was later shunned by West Germans for the same reason.
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Maximilianmuseum
In a restored patrician's house (1546), Maximilianmuseum traces the history of Augsburg. It also has a large exhibition of gold and silver work from baroque and rococo masters. A second floor displays sculptures and architectural models.
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Andechs
Founded in the 10th century, the gorgeous hilltop monastery of Andechs has long been a place of pilgrimage, though today more visitors come to slurp the Benedictines' fabled ales.
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Plaque
Oskar Schindler lived in Regensburg for years, and today one of his houses bears a plaque to his achievements commemorated in the Steven Spielberg epic Schindler's List.
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St-Peter-und-Pauls-Kirche
The lovely Romanesque St-Peter-und-Pauls-Kirche contains a stunning Riemenschneider altar. There's a beer garden (Unter den Linden) about halfway along the trail.
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Goldener Saal
The meticulously restored Goldener Saal is a main meeting hall. It's a dazzling space canopied by a gilded and coffered ceiling, interspersed with frescoes.
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Frauenkirche South Tower
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Domschatz-und Diözesan-Museum
The Domschatz-und Diözesan-museum showcases a range of ecclesiastical finery that illustrates the power and wealth of the Church rulers.
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Deutsches Weihnachtsmuseum
Käthe Wohlfahrt Weihnachtsdorf houses the Deutsches Weihnachtsmuseum, which traces the development of various Yuletide customs.
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Playground of the Senses
Some 80 hands-on 'stations' designed to educate children in the laws of nature, physics and the human body. Take the U2 or U3 to Wöhrder Wiese.
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Puppen-und Spielzeugmuseum
For the nostalgic, the Puppen-und Spielzeugmuseum has an amazing collection of doll's houses, teddy bears and toy carousels.
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Nuremberg Zoo
An open-air zoo and Dolphinarium with enclosures as close as possible to the animals' natural habitats. Take bus 5 from the Hauptbahnhof.
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